Art Stage Jakarta 2018 Postponed To August Next Year

Art Stage Jakarta’s third edition has been postponed to August 2019, fair organizers announced in a statement on May 18. Image via Art Stage Jakarta’s Facebook page.

The third edition of Art Stage Jakarta, which was initially slated to take place on September 7–9, 2018, has been postponed to August next year, fair organizers announced on May 18.

In a joint statement by Lorenzo Rudolf, the fair’s founder and president, and Susan Santoso, its artistic director, two events were cited as the cause for the change of plans—the 2018 Asian Games and the ongoing campaigns for next year’s Indonesian presidential election.

The 18th Asian Games, a pan-Asian multi-sport event scheduled to take place from August 18 to September 2 this year in Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia, could have posed additional constraints for the transport of artworks to the fair, according to the statement, because “the magnitude of the Games may affect the national customs system.”

Rudolf and Santoso added, “[Due] to the significance of the election for the future direction and development of the country, uncertainties in the market may be observed during this period.”

“In 2019, Indonesia will be stronger and more stable than ever. We will then be able to guarantee the next successful step for Art Stage Jakarta—an internationally important art event that is more exciting, more vibrant and more unique than ever before,” the statement continued.

The sister fair of Art Stage Singapore, the Jakarta edition of the fair was inaugurated in 2016 with the aim of becoming “the world’s platform to discover and engage with Indonesia’s artists, collectors and galleries.”

Art Stage Jakarta is scheduled to return on August 2–4, 2019, at the Sheraton Grand Jakarta Gandaria City Hotel.